The Brain: Magic Mushrooms and Mind Control

[Chelle]

Hi,

I was brought up on a council estate in the Midlands, England (yes, no silver spoon in my mouth) and yes, it was rough (although I didn’t realise that at that time, it was just normal to all the other kids and me). Anyway- every autumn we’d go hunting for Magic mushrooms over the local school fields and any other fields where they grew. We’d pick them; take them home, stick them in a sandwich, and eat as many as we could.

Sure enough an hour later we’d be “off our nuts.” What we experienced was a barrage of mind stimulation that included hallucinating, finding our spiritual selves, feeling at one with the universe, endless talking and always getting ourselves out into nature. Anyway, for us council estate kids this was normal adolescent behaviour.

By the way, this does not mean that I recommend hallucinogenic substances to anyone; it was just something we used to do when we were kids. In fact I would recommend that if you have never experienced these substances before, then you should keep away from them as a “bad trip” can be devastating for some susceptible people.

As I grew older and looked back with hindsight on these experiences, I tied to rationalise how these experiences could possibly occur due to the ingestion of a simple substance. Hence I am always looking for evidence of this in scientific works.

Much to my delight, some recent work involving the hallucinogenic constituent of magic mushrooms i.e. Psilocybin -- C 12 H 17 N 2O 4 P was/is being tested. Thus brain scans of volunteers are taken and examined during a psilocybin experience. This process enables scientists to map the brain parts that are active during a psilocybin experience. All the results of trial participants’ are merged into consolidated scans to identify precise areas of the brain that are activated via this drug.

It has been found that during an experience with psilocybin, instead of specific parts of the brain becoming more activated (as mapped as increased blood flow, in the brain scan) it is in fact the opposite. Hence Parts of the brain become remarkably less active and thus are shut off (as mapped as decrease in blood flow).

The interesting thing about this is, those parts of the brain that become less active are the areas of the brain that tell us who, where and what we are. When these areas are damped down via psilocybin the volunteers are released from these everyday constraints. Therefore, enabling volunteers to experience, for want of a better word, spiritual oneness, the same way I did, via magic mushrooms when I was a kid.

This led me to ponder …….. and ponder………….and ponder…………………..

Those parts of the brain that are shut off/damped down are connected to areas of the brain concerned with

• Who we are (my name is….) etc
• Where we are (I live at…..) etc
• What we are (I am a Human being) etc

Or to put it another way, brain areas that are susceptible to learning, programming and mind control or to use a scientific word, the “nurture” aspect of the human (the aspects of the human that are influenced by environmental factors).

Before all the programming begins it may be that humans are a lot more spiritual at a very basic level and hence later programming that begins from birth via family, friends, schooling etc, takes us away from this arguably more natural/basic state of being. Therefore it may also follow that we all still hold the key to our natural/basic selves we just have to rid ourselves of the years of programming in order to achieve this.

I much look forward to the results of the study where these brain areas affected by psilocybin can be investigated for function and biochemistry in more detail as this has not, as yet, been made clear. However it is also important to contemplate that although we can gain valuable insights from processes such as brain imaging, damaged brains and experiments to learn how the brain functions, it is still unknown how on Earth the raw feel of toothache or being in love etc arises from the activity of systems of neurons within the brain. It may well be that until we can address this problem we will never fully understand the bigger picture.

Thus I leave you with the hard problem of consciousness --- How can a state of phenomenal conscious awareness arise from the 1.3 kg mass of brain matter in our heads?

Just thought I’d share.

Chelle

REFERENCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvKQAYQT0bE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzcWcLxeQ48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v30ZEGH9uGk

[LightningResistor]

Wow, awesome post! I too grew up with these experiences, and this study helps explain how it works. Indeed, it seems to break down the many perceptual filters we acquire over time, and allows for a much more objective approach to one's external and internal workings. Truly amazing plants- an experience I would recommend to anyone with a mind capable of exploring such things. :cool:

[72MAV27]

that's a very interesting study. it kinda makes sense tho.

i've taken the magic "shrooms" before myself. took them the first time when i was about 16. i've definitely experienced some enlightening things from them. but i too would NOT recommend people to go seek out mushrooms. as you stated some people are susceptible to "bad trips" and some people never fully recover.

but i did want to share an interesting experience. me and 3 of my friends all took shrooms one day. and when we would take them we would always smoke marijuana because the combination of the two seems to give you an even more spiritual experience. it was that way for us anyway. so we were sitting in an apartment complex smoking. and one of us took notice to a small bush that seemed to be out of place. it was to the left of about 3 taller bushes. for some reason we started laughing at the small bush. we were cracking jokes about it like you would do to a person. all of a sudden we could all see the emotions of this bush. we could see that it was getting "upset" that we were laughing at it. i can't fully explain it in words. but we all saw it. and we still talk about it to this day. we all know that plants are living beings, but actually seeing them in that way was very enlightening.

again, i do not endorse taking any kind of hallucinogen. they are very powerful!!!

[Swami]

http://wallpapers.free-review.net/wallpapers/12/Magic_mushroom_-_3D_Adobe_Photoshop_CS.jpg

Not gonna say anything.........:twitch::cool:


4410255898449014621
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4410255898449014621#

[Steph]

Thanks Chelle, seems like we both had similar upbringings :)

Just had to post this as it seems so relevant to this thread;

John Lennon - Playboy Interview 1980

"We must always remember to thank the CIA and the Army for LSD. That's what people forget. Everything is the opposite of what it is, isn't it Harry?"

Mouse x

[Ancient]

A great and fascinating topic.

Psychoactive substances definitely need much more mainstream research.

Check out Dr. Rick Strassman and his groundbreaking book: DMT: The Spirit Molecule. A very interesting read on DMT (the most powerful psychoactive substance) and the brain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Strassman

[Swami]

A great and fascinating topic.

Psychoactive substances definitely need much more mainstream research.

Check out Dr. Rick Strassman and his groundbreaking book: DMT: The Spirit Molecule. A very interesting read on DMT (the most powerful psychoactive substance) and the brain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Strassman

Search..........and you will find:
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?4063-The-Spirit-Molecule-!&highlight=Spirit+Molecule

[NancyV]

Of all the psychedelic substances I've tried I would have to say that mushrooms have the least possibility of producing negative or scary trips. I've probably only taken mushrooms around 50-60 times, when I was in my early 20's for a couple of years, then again in my mid 30's, but I never had anything other than an awesome experience.

We used to call mushrooms the "love drug". Everything and everyone looks amazingly beautiful and the love for all life is intense. Everything is magical and funny at the same time and you can tap into the ability to communicate with all life, plants, animals, people, spirits, etc.

I lived in Hawaii for several years in my 30's and Hawaiian mushrooms are quite prolific. There were several cattle on a few acres next to our property so all I had to do was reach over the fence and pick the mushrooms. They grew in many places where we went hiking on the Big Island and we often ate a few as we were walking. Colors became intense, all senses were heightened and the barrier or veil between other dimensions and times was thinned or dissolved, depending on how much we had ingested and our individual sensitivity.

Perhaps more people should experience mushrooms. It would definitely change how they view life and I think it would be highly beneficial overall. My personal preference is to reach a heightened state of awareness without ingesting any substance, but taking mushrooms when I was younger may have enhanced this ability.

[Arrowwind]

Unlike others here I fully endorse taking plant medicine if one is called to it. It is a gateway path. Not all people need it but many are greatly benefited from the opening it can bring.. I do recommend that it be taken with someone who knows plant medicine, as a guide and to watch over and protect your body as well.

[mrmalco]

Chelle - you said:
Before all the programming begins it may be that humans are a lot more spiritual at a very basic level and hence later programming that begins from birth via family, friends, schooling etc, takes us away from this arguably more natural/basic state of being. Therefore it may also follow that we all still hold the key to our natural/basic selves we just have to rid ourselves of the years of programming in order to achieve this.

This is completely the case. In a current school of practical philosophy there have been many years of systematic work by a few thousand people on precisely that. It is its own reward. It tremendously increases one's life/strength/general-inspiration to disburden that way. Until it happens sufficiently widely we will stay where we are, or if we move ahead we risk the bounce back because so much of the 'karmic' stuff stays under the threshold and moves us unconsciously - even when we have really good intentions. So the way to make the ego entirely transparent and to clarify consciousness to the natural pristine state is THE work of humanity. The body of clear light is thereby built and in no other way.
Cheers.

Ah mushrooms in the autumn, when the overbrain mammal/instinctual functions are released the vegetal consciousness seems to arise. It's appropriate that the mushroom consciousness be so - an enlightened botanist/biologist once explained to me how mushroom spoors lace the entire subterranean earthscape and that in a square inch of good soil there could be tens of meters of single-cell mushroom spoor. The wonder of our awareness is that we can focus the knowledge of all this. Evolution has selected for all this by maintaining hereditary receptors.

Enough - I'm just rambling on.

[Arrowwind]

I think it would be wise that when talking about mushrooms that people specifiy what mushrooms. All are not created equal. Having done the infamous red capped Aminita Muscara with the white spots I will testify, and it not a shroom to do lightly or without expert guidance. It took me about 4 months to recover from that trip and it certainly foiled my first year in college, but did lead me to the trip to end all trips... (still I would not trade in the experience)

Just plucking a shroom out of a field can be deadly. There needs to be indentifying names. Even in the psilocybin realms there are differences.

[LightningResistor]

groundbreaking book: DMT: The Spirit Molecule. A very interesting read on DMT

Also, just a quick note- there's an excellent documentary by the same name, and may be more accessible to some. After reading some of the book, it was good to put faces to the names.

[Mare]

Too tired to write anything of value tonight but one thing I will say is that Terence McKenna is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in this subject. I do recommend his Archaic Revival:Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UfO's, Evolution, Shamanism and the Rebirth of the Goddess. It's great fun to read and so full of brilliant ideas.

His was a sparkling, mercurial intellect and his early death was a great loss. His audio stuff as well as the books is also great to listen to too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrj1X6TzEXo&feature=related

[Northern Boy]

Thanks for the video Swami a welcome relief . A good topic as well NancyV never thought you would have been into MM LOL surprise > I have a few good stories in relation to the topic at hand

[shadowbox]

They are very useful tools. I don't think they should be used recreationally, but to gain insight. To deprogram your mind.

I wouldn't be the deeply spiritual person I am today were it not for the psychedelic experiences I have endured, both negative and positive.

[mesta0ptik]

I can recommend a book called 'Inner Paths to Outer Space', written by various people on this topic. Also Graham Hancock has done research in the DMT / Spirtual path, check him out for more information. He has input in said book.

I have experience with both 'mushrooms' and LSD from my youth. On reflection and taking into consideration my research on subjects, such as contained on this site, it leads me to believe there's a definate connection to a spiritual awareness and natural understanding of all things, inparticular - nature.

Given the chance, I'd probably do further research, but my days of that seem to be long gone! However, maybe there're some positive aspects to moderate use of hallucinogens for spiritual research?

BOOK LINK :: http://www.slawcio.com/inner.html

[Hawkwind]

It has been found that during an experience with psilocybin, instead of specific parts of the brain becoming more activated (as mapped as increased blood flow, in the brain scan) it is in fact the opposite. Hence Parts of the brain become remarkably less active and thus are shut off (as mapped as decrease in blood flow).
Another name for mystic union is ego death. So, yes- one of the things that tends to happen during psychedelic experiences is that the ego gets turned down or off. Another effect tends to be that the parts of the brain which filter information get turned down or off. Both these experiences can either be extremely pleasant and growthful or quite the opposite. I read everything I could get my hands on pertaining to this subject during my 20s and had over 200 spirit walks with various substances during that time. I've had both the most beautiful and ecstatic experiences of my life as well as the most terrifying as a result of these substances. Do not use them lightly. If you're considering using them at all do so in a safe environment with people you love and trust. If at all possible have a trained guide or shaman present.

This short vid is a bit darker than most of my experiences, but an accurate portrayal of some of the states of consciousness I've run across. It's also a good illustration of why having a guide present is advisable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK7t2Xnf0FY

[Gone001]

Hi,

I was brought up on a council estate in the Midlands, England (yes, no silver spoon in my mouth) and yes, it was rough (although I didn’t realise that at that time, it was just normal to all the other kids and me). Anyway- every autumn we’d go hunting for Magic mushrooms over the local school fields and any other fields where they grew. We’d pick them; take them home, stick them in a sandwich, and eat as many as we could.

Sure enough an hour later we’d be “off our nuts.” What we experienced was a barrage of mind stimulation that included hallucinating, finding our spiritual selves, feeling at one with the universe, endless talking and always getting ourselves out into nature. Anyway, for us council estate kids this was normal adolescent behaviour.

By the way, this does not mean that I recommend hallucinogenic substances to anyone; it was just something we used to do when we were kids. In fact I would recommend that if you have never experienced these substances before, then you should keep away from them as a “bad trip” can be devastating for some susceptible people.

As I grew older and looked back with hindsight on these experiences, I tied to rationalise how these experiences could possibly occur due to the ingestion of a simple substance. Hence I am always looking for evidence of this in scientific works.

Much to my delight, some recent work involving the hallucinogenic constituent of magic mushrooms i.e. Psilocybin -- C 12 H 17 N 2O 4 P was/is being tested. Thus brain scans of volunteers are taken and examined during a psilocybin experience. This process enables scientists to map the brain parts that are active during a psilocybin experience. All the results of trial participants’ are merged into consolidated scans to identify precise areas of the brain that are activated via this drug.

It has been found that during an experience with psilocybin, instead of specific parts of the brain becoming more activated (as mapped as increased blood flow, in the brain scan) it is in fact the opposite. Hence Parts of the brain become remarkably less active and thus are shut off (as mapped as decrease in blood flow).

The interesting thing about this is, those parts of the brain that become less active are the areas of the brain that tell us who, where and what we are. When these areas are damped down via psilocybin the volunteers are released from these everyday constraints. Therefore, enabling volunteers to experience, for want of a better word, spiritual oneness, the same way I did, via magic mushrooms when I was a kid.

This led me to ponder …….. and ponder………….and ponder…………………..

Those parts of the brain that are shut off/damped down are connected to areas of the brain concerned with

• Who we are (my name is….) etc
• Where we are (I live at…..) etc
• What we are (I am a Human being) etc

Or to put it another way, brain areas that are susceptible to learning, programming and mind control or to use a scientific word, the “nurture” aspect of the human (the aspects of the human that are influenced by environmental factors).

Before all the programming begins it may be that humans are a lot more spiritual at a very basic level and hence later programming that begins from birth via family, friends, schooling etc, takes us away from this arguably more natural/basic state of being. Therefore it may also follow that we all still hold the key to our natural/basic selves we just have to rid ourselves of the years of programming in order to achieve this.

I much look forward to the results of the study where these brain areas affected by psilocybin can be investigated for function and biochemistry in more detail as this has not, as yet, been made clear. However it is also important to contemplate that although we can gain valuable insights from processes such as brain imaging, damaged brains and experiments to learn how the brain functions, it is still unknown how on Earth the raw feel of toothache or being in love etc arises from the activity of systems of neurons within the brain. It may well be that until we can address this problem we will never fully understand the bigger picture.

Thus I leave you with the hard problem of consciousness --- How can a state of phenomenal conscious awareness arise from the 1.3 kg mass of brain matter in our heads?

Just thought I’d share.

Chelle

REFERENCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvKQAYQT0bE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzcWcLxeQ48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v30ZEGH9uGk

Funny I've done magic mushrooms quite a few times and have never once been the slightest bit confused about who, what or where I was as a human being. I would recommend them to anybody. I' have had some amazing experiences while taking the drug and have found it to be completely safe under the right circumstances.

I feel the that the fact that it is considered a class A drug along with heroin and cocaine is an absolute crime against nature. I believe that one can have one of the most spiritual experiences of his/her life while taking psilocybin. It's less toxic then aspirin and this has been proven (go ahead look it up). The only danger comes from what one might do to ones self under the WRONG circumstances.

I would love it if this drug was legal under guided circumstance because I think it would give the greater populace a chance to get a glimpse of there being something more to life (as one often experiences upon ingestion). The thing is, it needs to be taken with responsibility. It isn't the type of drug that should be taken irresponsibly. It isn't the type of drug that should be taken to just laugh and stare at walls with your buddies as they try to freak you out. It isn't the type of drug that should be taken when the user is feeling scared or anxious about the outcome of the drug upon ingestion.

May I remind you, that psychedelics have been taken for thousands of years by natives and other cultures to bridge the gap between the known and unknown? I believe that under the right circumstances it can be one of the most spiritual experiences in ones life. Lets say there was a place where you could go and experience a guided trip. You were with an experienced user who took the drug seriously. In turn you had done your research on the drug to limit your own fear.

In a controlled circumstance for someone who hasn't experienced much outside the mainstream way of thinking it can be a truly beautiful experience. I remember a time i did shrooms and went out into nature. It was one of the first times I felt truly connected to everything around me. I felt a greater significance in regards to me and my surroundings. To rob someone of this via the 'all drugs are bad' propaganda is a disgraceful shame. In conclusion, I believe, UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCE (this is key) psychedelics can offer one one of the most spiritually significant experiences of their lives.

P.S. Was not one of the discoverers who discovered that DNA had a double helix under the influence of 'LSD' another hallucinogenic (go ahead look that one up too :))

Cheers,

Aldous

[Chelle]

Hi, O.k so maybe I didn't explain this part as full as I should have.

I have seen, first hand, what drugs can do to some (not all) susceptible people in my short life. I do not think Magic Mushrooms are bad, I just think they require a great deal of respect and the longer we have been programmed without a glimpse at our spiritual selves via a mind altering substance, then it could be just so big of a shock, that some people never get over it. I'm glad I tried these things as a kid as they have left me with a clear sense of myself and my ego. I'm also aware that young people may read this thread and I was trying to be responsible.

What I was trying to get across was that science may one day catch up with what many of us already know. Sometimes its nice to see facts rather than just hearsay, it can make the understanding a little more palatable.


Kindest Regards and Greatest Respect
Chelle

[Hawkwind]

Hi Aldous, I agree with most of what you said, but wanted to comment on a few points


I would recommend them to anybody.
People with strong ego attachments tend to have negative experiences, as the ego tends to defend itself. Also, people with histories of mental illness risk exacerbating their conditions. In both these circumstances, psychedelics aren't recommended.


I' have had some amazing experiences while taking the drug and have found it to be completely safe under the right circumstances.
Nope, sorry. Sometimes even under the best circumstances things go wrong. Personally, I got stuck on what Leary would call a lower bardo for about a week. I assure you, it was NOT a pleasant experience. One friend of mine relived an experience from a past life in which he was eaten alive by a wolf. Another friend saw himself covered in insects and emptied a can of insecticide onto himself, then proceeded to rub enough of his skin off that he bled to death. I'm not trying to say I see these substances as bad or necessarily dangerous, but I definitely don't consider them safe even under the best of circumstances.


The thing is, it needs to be taken with responsibility.Absolutely, and a good deal of respect.


May I remind you, that psychedelics have been taken for thousands of years by natives and other cultures to bridge the gap between the known and unknown? Yes, but the shamans in these cultures tend to spend years in training and often put their lives at risk in the process. Casteneda's first three books (The Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality & Journey to Ixtlan) give an excellent overview of this path and the dangers involved with it.

[mesta0ptik]

... Also, people with histories of mental illness risk exacerbating their conditions. In both these circumstances, psychedelics aren't recommended.

There is research to suggest that some mental health conditions such as schizophrenia could be asscociated to the opening up of the spiritual channel in some way, of course this isn't concrete findings but may assist in understanding what is happening with this type of mental condition.

[shybastid]

I put this in humor section in another thread. Maybe it's not so funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWgQrWwZrqQ

Just kidding.